Tuesday March 28, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - The Turkish government has donated military vehicles to the Somali government to strengthen the Somali Armed Forces, particularly the Turkish-trained Somali Gorgor (Eagle) forces.
Somalia's Minister of Defense, Abdulkadir Mohamed Noor, along with other government officials, received the vehicles at a handover ceremony held at Mogadishu’s port.
Noor thanked the Turkish government and its people for supporting the Somali people and their government in their fight against al Shabab.
"These vehicles, which are intended to strengthen the Armed Forces, especially GorGor, have arrived at a time when the Somali people and their government are at war with the Khawarij al-Shabaab," the minister said.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday announced the second phase of military operations against the extremist group Al-Shabab. This new phase aims to eliminate the militant group from the remaining parts of the country.
The announcement was made during President Mohamud's visit to the recently liberated Aadan Yabaal district. The President highlighted the significant progress made by the Somali National Army (SNA) during the first phase of the war against Al-Shabab.
In 2021, Turkey donated 22 military vehicles to Somalia, including eight Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. The vehicles were handed over to officials of the Somali Defense Ministry and Gen. Odowaa Yusuf Rage, head of the Somali National Armed Forces, in the capital Mogadishu.